Tamworth West Public School

New Administration Database – School Bytes

As previously mentioned, all public schools in NSW have had to transition, or are currently in the process of transitioning, to new administration platforms. We are still in the process of consolidating our data/administration systems to School Bytes. I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your patience with us at this time. 

The move to School Bytes has resulted in changes to the way school events are planned, our notes are distributed, payments are made, and attendance is monitored.

Our new system is heavily reliant on families using technology. Most information and permission notes are now distributed electronically, and consent is gained electronically. Parents and carers are also informed of attendance through School Bytes. It is imperative that families have signed up to the School Bytes app and that you have your notifications turned on so that you can:

• Receive real time push notifications any time we communicate with you

• Make secure payments for activities, events and excursions

• Give consent, sign forms and respond to attendance alerts

• View the school calendar and news

Our wonderful administration staff are working tirelessly to move everything over from historic practices to the new system and I have absolute faith that we will be able to speak very positively about the processes we have in place in the near future.

And, while it may be a little frustrating for some of our families now, be reassured that you will be well-prepared for when your children reach high school and being electronically connected to your school is essential.

NAPLAN 2024 Parent and Carer Information   

Each year the National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) is undertaken by students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9. Students will participate in tests for writing, reading, conventions of language (spelling, grammar and punctuation) and numeracy.   

NAPLAN 2024 will take place from Wednesday 13 March to Monday 25 March. 

NAPLAN is just one part of our school learning assessment program. The tests assess literacy and numeracy skills your child is already learning at school.     

In preparation for NAPLAN, our school will undertake activities to help students become familiar with the format and functionality of the online tests. These activities are not an assessment of student ability and will not be marked.  Excessive preparation for NAPLAN is not required nor recommended.     

The public demonstration site (https://www.nap.edu.au/naplan/public-demonstration-site) is available to see the types of questions, tools and functions used in the NAPLAN tests.

Further information about NAPLAN is available on the NESA website (https://www.nap.edu.au/naplan/for-parents-carers).

If you have any questions about NAPLAN, please contact your child’s teacher. 

Stewart House Donation Drive 2024

Next Monday your children will bring home raffle envelopes for the 2024 Stewart House donation drive. Please donate $2.00 or more for a chance to win a $4000 GIFT VOUCHER.

Stewart House has been operating since 1931 and continues to deliver residential programs free of charge to disadvantaged children.

The educational programs and excursions are designed to develop social and emotional skills, build self-esteem, and improve student’s overall wellbeing. Children attending a residential program are offered medical, dental, audio, and optometric assessments and treatments during their 12-day stay. For those children who need additional support, counselling is provided.

Without ongoing fundraising support from schools, the program could not continue to deliver programs free of charge to those who need them most.

Instructions for families and supporters:

1. Fill in your name, address, telephone number and school on the envelope provided.

2. Insert a donation of at least $2 into the envelope and seal it.

3. Return the envelope to your class teacher by FRIDAY 15 MARCH 2024.

NSW Student Learning Library

The NSW Student Learning Library is a suite of learning resources which are accessible for teachers, parents and carers, and students to be used in class or at home.

The resources are aligned with new syllabuses and have been quality assured by educational professionals within the department. The resources will supplement and complement other resources being provided by the department, including units developed by department curriculum experts to support the roll-out of new syllabuses.

The library currently contains K-2 English and Mathematics learning resources. The remaining K-10 learning resources are to be released over the next 3-5 years aligned to the new NSW syllabus rollout.

To see what is available to support your children, please go to: https://education.nsw.gov.au/schooling/schooling-initiatives/nsw-student-learning-library#/

P&C 

A big shout out to our wonderful P&C for 2024 who are already well underway planning events and fundraising opportunities for our students and the school. It was really lovely to have some new members and I look forward to working with them. I encourage you to get involved and come along to the meetings and support events throughout the year.

Parent/Carer Information Evenings

Thank you to all families and staff who attended our recent parent/carer information evenings. These sessions provided the opportunity for you to hear about school and class routines, upcoming events and excursions, and communication methods; as well as see your child’s classroom/s and get to know your child’s teacher a little better.

Good communication is essential when we are working together to develop and grow your children, and this was just one opportunity to build important relationships between home and school. 

If you were unable to join us for your scheduled information evening, please feel free to contact your classroom teacher through the front office.

Upcoming Events This Month

In addition to a number of sporting trials for individual athletes and perhaps some knock-out team events (depending on draws), other events for you to remember include:

• 5 March Tom Learoyd-Lahrs Legends Day

• 5 March Taronga Zoo Mobile incursion

• 6 March Kindergarten Bus Safety program

• 11 March Regional swimming carnival

• 11 March P&C meeting

• 12 March Peel HS transition session for year 6 students

• 13 March – 25 March  NAPLAN

• 19 March Real Schools parent session in the hall at 6:00 pm

• 21 March Harmony Day

• 22 March Science & Engineering Challenge

• 28 March Easter Hat Parade

• 29 March Good Friday

• 31 March Easter Sunday

I hope March is very kind to you and that the Easter Bunny finds you well before his basket is empty!

Terrie Kay

Principal

Wellbeing Wednesday

The wellbeing team will be running activities in the hall on Wednesdays this year that focus on student wellbeing. Activities will include yoga, mindfulness, colouring and mindful art as well as several other fun things to do. 

I would also like to introduce a new member of our staff, Ruth France  Some families would have met Ruth, our school chaplain, at our recent parent information sessions. Ruth is part of the wellbeing staff at Tamworth West under the National Student Wellbeing Program. The funding provides us with a part-time chaplain or student wellbeing officer. This role is about connecting with people and building relationships. Ruth is an extra person that children can go to for social, emotional and spiritual support. She is not a counsellor, and the role is not specifically Christian, it is a holistic wellbeing role to support students, families, and staff.  You might see Ruth running yoga sessions in the hall at lunchtime on Wednesdays, or art and gardening sessions with students at other times.  Welcome Ruth, we are very fortunate to have your support at Tamworth West. 

Student Leadership Groups

Our student leaders have now all been formally inducted and the last of the badges have arrived and been presented. There will be several roles and events that these students will be involved in during the year.  The development of the students’ leadership skills is our priority, as well as coordinating special events with their assistance.  Miss May will be the teacher overseeing the Wellbeing Team and the House Captains/Vice Captains. Mrs Spinks will be organising the SRC. We both look forward to an exciting year filled with wonderful opportunities for our leaders. 

Welcome to 2024

The P&C would like to welcome all the new families that are joining our school this year. 

At our first meeting for 2024 we appointed new office bearers. We welcome the following:

President Rachel Mountain

Vice President Renae Mumford

Vice President Catherine Te Au

Treasurer Emily Crompton 

We would like to thank Bianca Mills for all her hard work and dedication she gave us last year as she steps down from her role but remains a committee member. We would also like to thank the new members that attended the first meeting. 

We have many activities organised for the year.

Easter Raffle

Please keep an eye out for raffle tickets coming home for our annual Easter raffle. Tickets are $1 each. Due back on 25 March and drawn at the Easter Hat Parade on 28 March.

If you are able to make a donation to contribute to the prizes, these can be handed into the front office. These can be Easter eggs, Easter craft and anything Easter themed.

Mother's Day Stall

We will be holding our Mother’s Day stall on Thursday 11 May. Gifts will range from $2 to $7. A reminder will be sent home next term.

Clothing Pool

We run a volunteer driven clothing pool. Times are advertised on the Facebook P&C page or if you are after anything in particular, please reach out. We just ask that you respect our volunteers with courtesy and respect. 

Next Meeting

Our next meeting will be held on 11 March in the staff room at 5:30 pm.

We would love to see some new families come and join us!

-Emily Crompton

P&C Treasurer

Week 8 Canteen Specials

In week 8 our canteen will have 2 specials running:

Vegetable Week

We will have 2 vegetable options available to order on March 18, 19 and 20. Each child who orders one of these will receive a token and be able to choose a small prize from the box I will have in the canteen. This is to say thank you and well done for trying a new dish!

The 2 options will be a vegetable lasagne (with a chunky vegetable sauce, bechamel sauce and lasagne layers) or vegetable pancakes with some tzatziki. Both will be $6 and available to order on the flexischools app, and at the canteen window of a morning.

Harmony Day

In week 8 we will also be celebrating Harmony day on the Thursday, 21 March. We will be having a preorder special for this. There will be 3 options, available on the fleixschools app only, with orders to be made between March 4 and 14 for lunch on the day (Thursday 21 March).

These options will include 

• Vegetable fried rice  $5

• Hotdogs            $5

• Tandoori chicken and noodles  $6.50

If anyone needs help on how to preorder, please contact me via the office on 67658316 

March Madness

As if that wasn't enough, from March 4 until the end of the month we are having March Madness and lowering the price of our drinks! Just to say thank you for your continued support of our canteen!

Thank you,

-Amy Reading

Canteen Manager

Tamworth West Public School is a Positive Bevahiour for Learning (PBL) school. PBL is a whole school program that encourages positive behaviour and allows students to become responsible for their own actions. Students and teachers work together to create a positive learning environment within our school using consistent procedures, language and expectations.

We have three expectations that underpin teaching and learning at Tamworth West Public School.

These are:

RESPECT

RESILIENCE

RESPONSIBILITY

We encourage students to uphold these expectations to a high standard. Our PBL motto is:

EVERYONE, EVERYWHERE, EVERY TIME

Positive Rewards

We have a school wide behaviour system that recognises and encourages positive behaviour. Students receive raffle tickets for displaying the correct behaviour. 

Weekly Lessons

Students participate in weekly school wide lessons that focus on a specific behaviour which is determined by data. There is a fortnightly focus area taught after each PBL assembly, for example, sportsmanship in games.

RESPECT

• We keep our areas tidy

• We use our manners

• We speak nicely to others

• We keep our hands and feet to ourselves

RESILIENCE

• We accept our consequences

• We use also inclusive

• We seek help when needed

• We solve problems peacefully

RESPONSIBILITY

• We look after our things

• We wear our school uniform

• We are honest

• We stay in the right areas

What an incredible start to Kindergarten! 

First Day

The first day of Kindergarten was brimming with laughter, smiles, and newfound friendships. 'Kindergartners' were warmly greeted by their year six buddies and spent the morning together in the classroom. Following this, they embarked on a tour around the school, familiarising themselves with key areas such as the playground, office, library, computer room, hall, COLA, toilets, sport shed, and classrooms designated for face-to-face teaching.

A highlight of the day was capturing a memorable first day of Kindergarten photo—each student looking fantastic!

First Four Weeks

In the first four weeks, Kindergarten has made remarkable progress. They have successfully completed their Best Start assessments, and an informative envelope containing further details was sent home to parents.

In English, students have been practising writing their names and learning their first six sounds (s, a, t, p, i, n). They're also learning how to recognise and write these sounds.

Students have been immersing themselves in the books "Starting School" by Jane Godwin and "The Wild Guide to Starting School" by Laura Bunting, thoroughly exploring their themes and drawing connections to their personal experiences. Through this exploration, they have been crafting illustrations that mirror their reflections on pivotal aspects including their first day of school, family, pets, the school environment, favourite things at school, and friendships. 

Mathematics sessions have been filled with enthusiasm as students delve into the world of numbers and patterns. Exploration extended beyond the classroom as students ventured into the school environment, discovering natural materials and utilising them to explore shapes and attributes.

Parent Information Night

Thanks to all the parents who attended the parent information night. It was wonderful to meet some new faces. If you couldn't make it and would like more information, feel free to contact your classroom teacher.

Homework 

Homework begins on Monday 4 March. Homework is sent out on a Monday and is to be returned on a Friday.

Sport

During sport, students have been actively engaged in learning skills for tennis, fostering teamwork and sportsmanship through shared experiences. This physical activity not only enhances their coordination and fitness but also underscores the importance of regular exercise for overall well-being.

Coming Up!

Coming up!

• Taronga Zoo Mobile - Tuesday 5 March

• Bus safely program - Wednesday 6 March

• Cross country - Friday 5 April 

• ANZAC Day Service - Thursday 11 April

Please refer to school School Bytes or contact your classroom teacher for further information.

Easter Hat Parade

The Easter Hat Parade is Thursday 28 March in week 9. Students will make an Easter crown at school that they can wear during the parade, however families are more than welcome to make an Easter hat at home to wear at the parade. 

School Drop Off and Pick Up

To ensure safety, please ensure when students are arriving and departing the school that they are with an adult. Please shut gates after walking in and out.

-Georgina Clout, Chelsie Rivenell, Samantha Deaves

Kindergarten Teachers

Stage 1 has had a very busy start to the year. We have been learning all things shapes and patterns in mathematics. We have had lots of fun looking at the amazing patterns in our environment and making them with pattern blocks. Some classes are even creating beautiful, patterned artworks. 

What’s been happening in classrooms?

Year 1 have explored the concept of context in texts and used the comprehension strategies, compare and contrast to better comprehend the books being read. We have also been revisiting the concept of sequencing in narratives and how exploring nouns, verbs, adjectives and prepositional phrases create interesting pieces of written work.

Sport

Stage 1 have been dancing up a storm for Sport on Tuesdays. We all learnt a new dance, the Heel Toe Polka. It was so wonderful to see all students enjoying showing the parents at our infants' assembly. Enjoy some of these photos of us practising. 

This week we have started cricket skills. We are learning all the new skills of throwing, catching and striking. 

Thank You

Thank you to the parents that came to our information night. It was fabulous to meet some new faces. If you missed it and would like some more information, don’t hesitate to contact the front office to make an appointment to meet or chat to your child’s teacher.  

Events

It is another busy month ahead. One of our activities is Taronga Zoo Mobile. We are all looking forward to seeing what they are bringing to show us. Please make sure you check School Bytes for any information related to these types of activities.

Swimming Carnival

Congratulations to all the 8 year olds in year 2 that went to the swimming carnival. A special mention to Arlo Eldridge for his outstanding achievements on the day. 

-Kirrily Milton, Sam Deaves, Kathleen Harris and Alex Hammond

Stage 1 Teachers

Wow! What a busy start to our 2024 school year! We have already had a busy start to our year and look forward to more exciting events as the year progresses. It was great to see so many parents attend our parent information session on the 15th of February. In case you were not able to make it, teachers and classes are:

• Mrs Melinda Wilson -  3W

• Mrs Courtney Lyon - 3L

• Mr Jonathon Willis - 4W

• Miss Felicity Bagshaw 4B (Stage 2 Assistant Principal)

The past few weeks, we (including the teachers), have been learning new skills and knowledge in class using some of the new English and Mathematics units of work. Both year 3 and year 4 have been focusing on narratives and what a quality narrative looks like.  We look forward to being able to share these with you.

Over the past four weeks, students across all of the Stage 2 classes have been placed into four different groups that are then used to rotate around a variety of activities. This includes STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) where we work together to solve problems each week.

Sport

Swimming for sport has started and we have just over 100 students going swimming each week. The focus is on water confidence and learning basic skills. Students not attending swimming are partipating in organised sport back at school as well as a water safety program.

NAPLAN

Week 7 and 8 will see our Year 3 students complete NAPLAN from the 15–27 March. NAPLAN results allow parents/carers and educators to see how students are progressing in literacy and numeracy over time – individually, as part of their school community, and against national standards. We wish our Yr 3 students all the best!

Swimming Carnival

Stage 2 saw some students attend the school swimming carnival a few weeks ago. It was great to see the number of students who joined in numerous swimming events across the day. 

Upcoming Events

We are looking forward to upcoming events including:

• School cross country – Friday 5th April

• Easter Hat parade – Thursday 28th March

• Last day of Term 1 – Friday 12th April

The stage 2 teachers look forward to continuing to work with you this term. Thank you to our parents and staff for everything you do to support our students at school. 

Felicity Bagshaw

Stage 2 Assistant Principal

Term 1 is in full swing now! Students are immersing themselves in our new units of work, taking on new responsibilities, and getting involved in all the opportunities that Stage 3 has to offer. 

English

Year 5 have been working through the novel The Wild Robot, where students have been exploring science fiction narratives. They have been consolidating and developing different parts of a narrative such as the orientation, rising action, complication, climax, falling action and resolution. Students have been creating their version of each section based on the classroom text and science fiction short film. Students have primarily targeted their writing on using a correct narrative structure. 

Year 6 have been exploring the classic Australian novel Storm Boy, where they have been analysing the features of an imagination text. Year 6 students have produced some excellent, creative pieces of narrative writing so far, with a focus on including correct punctuation (quotation marks, sentence structure, and modal words) and figurative language (similes, personification, and idioms). 

Maths

Stage 3 has been enjoying new ways of learning in mathematics, where hands-on activities and shared reasoning have allowed for deeper mathematical thinking within the classroom. Our typical mathematics lesson involves a daily number sense activity, and core learning opportunities, with consolidation at the end. 

In other KLAs, Stage 3 have been investigating light in Science, their growing independence in PD/Health, Asia regions and the connection with Australia in Geography, and different art media (drawing, painting, printing etc.) in Creative Arts. 

The Resilience Project

The Resilience Project program is continuing again and has been incorporated with a new initiative introduced this year, ‘Wellbeing Wednesday!’ On Wellbeing Wednesday, a 30-minute Resilience Project lesson will take place in all classrooms, along with additional activities during lunch and recess around the school. Our Stage 3 Wellbeing Team representatives will be assisting with these activities, starting with Yoga in the hall at recess.

School Leaders

In leadership news, our House Captains are well underway with the operation of the sports shed and house point collection on Fridays. The School Captains have begun leading our assemblies on Fridays and Meet and Greet on Mondays. All of Year 6 have taken on the recycling program, started by Mrs. Milton, and have demonstrated increasing responsibility through this initiative, while also continuing to support their kindergarten buddies with the transition to school. The SRC are about to meet for its first meeting, where they will start planning for 2024. 

Upcoming Events

Year 6-7 High School EOI opens - Wednesday March 6

Peel HS visit Tamworth West PS (Year 6 students) - Tuesday March 12

Harmony Day - Thursday March 28 

Friendly Reminders

We would also like to politely ask parents to be mindful of their child/ren's technology and social media access. Throughout the year we teach aspects of cyber safety, however, we encourage parents to monitor and discuss the appropriate use of technology and social media applications, to ensure the safety and wellbeing of themselves and others.

Please ensure your child is in the correct school uniform each day. With this hot weather, we continue to encourage students to wear their school hats in the playground. 

Keep up to date by regularly checking School Bytes for any communication about upcoming events or notes relevant to your child. 

-Kahla May, Cody Edstein-Boyes, Emily Roworth, Dee Burns

Stage 3 Teachers

It has been a terrific start to the year for our students and teachers as we settle into new routines and learning. We started off by welcoming new students and staff to the Support Unit. 

Personalised Learning and Support Plan Meeting 

We look forward to meeting you all at our students personalised learning and support plan meetings that are coming up in week 7 & 8. More information on these meetings will be sent out in the coming weeks.

For the last four weeks, we have welcomed 4 new students and 3 returning TWPS students and we have working hard on settling into our routines and making connections with new friends! Our Kindergarten students successfully completed their Best Start assessment last week. 

In our English lessons, we have been working hard on writing our name, learning new sounds and have enjoyed reading and exploring ‘The Wild Guide to Starting School’ as our first text of the term. In maths, we have been working on different math components. We have been having fun learning about numbers and that collections of 10 are useful. We have been investigating how to sort objects into attributes. 

Students have settled into their new learning routines this year and are having heaps of fun. Students new and old have joined together to create a wonderful learning environment in the room.   

So far this year, students have attacked the new English and Mathematics units. They have been reading and analysing texts like ‘Under the Southern Cross’ by Frane Lessac and ‘A bag and a bird’ by Pamela Allen. Our children have enjoyed these, even creating an artwork based on Frane Lessac’s text. 

We look forward to the learning journey ahead of us! 

Students are loving their English unit based on the book ‘Blueback’ by Tim Winton. We are exploring concepts such as sustainability and marine ecology. Students are also integrating well with other classes for the Key Learning Areas of Geography, Health and Science. 

We have also thoroughly enjoyed the start of 3-6 school sport groups, with some of us heading to the pool for swimming where we are all learning important lessons in water safety. 

We were excited to meet Nathan Katz, Judo olympian when he visited. He shared some exciting stories with us and inspired us to strive for our goals. 

Important Dates

Taronga Zoo Mobile - Tuesday March 5

Kindergarten Bus Safely Program – Wednesday March 6

Cross Country - Friday April 5

ANZAC Service -Thursday April 11

Easter Hat Parade 

Easter is right around the corner. TWPS Easter Hat Parade is Thursday 28 March in week 9. Students will make an Easter hat at school that they can wear during the parade.  

Tamworth Show

Creative Arts has started with a bang this year with all students working on art pieces for the Tamworth show. Ten pieces of art have been selected from each stage, and are on display in the Pavilion at the show. Students were able to see their work when they visited the show this week.

Kindergarten

This term Kindergarten will be exploring animals and living things. They will look at how to draw animals and their different characteristics. They will be using coloured pencils, textas and oil pastels to create a variety of artworks. 

Stage 1

Stage 1 will be looking at how to create jungle animals in detail, focusing on lines, patterns and the colours of the animals. Students will use a variety of mediums such as oil pastels, watercolours and pencils.

Stage 2

'Dragons' is the theme for Stage 2. We are using guided drawings to create pictures of dragons, and focusing on blending colours with textas and coloured pencils. Students will create a drawing of a dragon's eye, experimenting with cool and warm colours. 

Stage 3

Stage 3 is examining how lines can create art. Students will recreate a famous artwork, 'The Scream' by Edvard Munch, using lines and simple colours. Students will explore concepts such as foreshortening and perspective to create artworks.

It will be an exciting term of art and I look forward to working with everyone to creat some wonderful and fun artworks.

-Nikki Cunneen

Creative Arts Teacher

Tamworth West Swimming Carnival

On Tuesday February 1,  Tamworth West held a competitive swimming carnival. It was an enjoyable day for all swimmers. It was particularly pleasing to see a lot of our participants entering in extra races as the day went on. 

Our age Champions for the day were:

Congratulations to the students who qualified for the Zone Swimming Carnival:

Atrea Allsopp, Kaile Allsopp, Maddy Ayers, Hamish Blackman, Myles Carrington, Jace Dawson, Arlo Eldridge, Jace Eldridge, Isla Eldridge, Josh Hart-Jones, Harriet Hurley, Kasch Lockery, Savannah Mills, Nate Morely, Cameron Mumford, Flynn Sandison-Welch, Emily Vesey. 

Thank you to all the parents who attended the carnival or assisted on the day and to Matt Flanagan and the Peel High students. Special mention to Naomi Welch for her role as the Chief Judge. 

Jonathan Willis

Sports Coordinator

Tamworth Zone Swimming Carnival

Last Friday February 23, 12 students from Tamworth West participated at the Zone Swimming Carnival. All of our competitors swam very well, and it was pleasing to see them giving it there all sometimes even surprising themselves. 

Students who have qualified for the North West Regional Carnival are:

Jace Dawson - 2nd Senior Boys Backstroke and 3rd Breaststroke

Cameron Mumford - 3rd Senior Boys Backstroke

Savannah Mills - 2nd 10 Year Girls 50m Freestyle, 1st Junior Girls Backstroke, 2nd Junior Girls Butterfly and 1st Junior Girls 4 x 50m Individual Medley.

Our Senior Boys relay team also qualified for the Regional Carnival coming 3rd overall.  A huge congratulations to Savannah Mills who was named the Zone Junior Girls Champion for the day. These students will now head to Armidale and compete against the best swimmers in the North West. 

Congratulations to all the students who attended the Zone carnival and their efforts on the day. 

Thank you to Bianca Mills for volunteering her assistance and time keeping expertise throughout the heat of the day. 

Term 1 is well and truly underway and what a fantastic and busy start we have had! It has been wonderful to see the students return and settle into the daily routines of school life.

Last year, our K-2 started the implementation of the new English and Mathematics syllabus and this hard work with implementation has continued this year. This year has seen the introduction, across NSW, of a new Mathematics and English syllabus for our 3-6 cohort. Teachers have been engaging in professional learning and collaborative planning sessions regularly, and continue to do so, in order to build their knowledge and understanding about how to plan teaching and learning experiences to cater for each student. 

All classes have loved the in-depth book studies that align with the new English units of work and this is being reflected in their reading, writing and art works displayed in the classrooms.

Our teachers have been spending time getting to know their new students, establishing classroom routines, building relationships and conducting assessments. Teachers use the assessment results to identify next steps in each students learning and plans lessons accordingly.

Well done to all of our amazing classroom teachers who have been working so hard to make learning meaningful and fun for our students to start the year and we can’t wait to see this continue for the remainder of the year.